Marlin Count Highest Ever In Tournament

Fishing

September 15, 1989|By JAY MUNDY Columnist

If information collected recently by the director of the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, and the Dare County (N.C.) Tourist Bureau, is any barometer, the tide may be changing for marlin and other billfish along the Mid-Atlantic's continental shelf.

Claude M. Bain III, director of the VSFT, said that through early September anglers have registered more than 480 white marlin, 80 blue marlin and four sailfish for Citation awards, but the good news is the lion's share of these fish were turned lose.

The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament is an arm of the state's tourism department that gives away free plaques to anyone who catches any of 22 different species of fish that meet a minimum weight requirement.

The tournament runs from April 15 through November 30.

Bain said the 80-plus blue marlin caught this year toppled all figures for that species in the tournament's 32-year history.

The white marlin figures surpass the entire catch for three of the last four years and is on a pace that will probably fall just shy of the record numbers caught in 1978 and 1980.

According to Bain, only about a dozen or so of the fish where killed. This translates into better than a 98 percent ratio returned to the water alive.

In fact, another conservation milestone was reached by the end of August for the first time in the tournament's history he said.

Of 2,142 fish of all species eligible for the tournament, 1,169 (54 percent) were released alive. This included 740 amberjack, 13 red drum, nine black drum and one tarpon.

September usually marks the peak of marlin fishing off the Virginia coast. Since the first weekend in July a great concentration of white marlin has been found just southeast of the Cigar, a seamount off Virginia Beach.

The largest blue marlin caught to date is a 440-pounder by Bobby K. Phillips Jr. of Spotsylvania, captured off the Norfolk Canyon, located some 65 to 70 miles due east of Cape Henry.

William Bishop of Silver Springs Maryland caught the largest white marlin, a 76-pounder, near the Cigar.

R. Wayne Bilger Jr. of Virginia Beach boated the largest sailfish, a 35-pound, 13-ouncer, also at the Cigar.

Even the North Carolina charter fleet got in on the great action.

"It's been a fantastic August and indications are that September will be just as good," noted Satch Smith, manager of the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center where a fleet of 34 offshore cruisers head out to the Gulf Stream almost daily.

According to Smith, during a three-day span between Aug. 25-27, more than 249 billfish were captured with most of them released.

That weekend also saw a 606-pound blue captured on the Dare Devil with Capt. Murphy Creef.

Earlier in August, two huge blue marlin, both weighing more than 900 pounds each, were caught. Capt. Dickie Harris of the Fintastic brought in a 936-pounder, Capt. Barry Sawyer on the Pelican landed a 932-pounder.

"This has been one of the greatest billfish seasons I've seen and that's despite the wet, windy weather we had," Smith said.

At another fishing center, Pirates Cove Marina, 103 blue and white marlin were caught during a tournament. The weekend of Aug. 26-27 the nine-boat fleet caught another 62 billfish.

At the Salty Dog Marina where three boats operated this year, still another six billfish were landed Saturday, Aug. 26.

The Hatteras Island fleet also reported outstanding results this season.

Small bluefish remain a good bet for anglers chumming in the vicinity of buoy 48 near the mouth of the Wicomico River. Bill Bond in Reedsville said fair numbers of croaker had started to show around buoy C-34, and that some gray trout up to six pounds had been caught along the deeper channels. Speckled trout up to five pounds have also been taken near the Tangier target ships. The best lure is the Saltwater Sassy Shad, a bait resembling a small fish. One angler registered an eight-pounder, another a 12 1/4-pounder. Farther down the bay at the mouth of the Rappahannock River spot are still a good bet, especially in the vicinity of buoy 3 off Gwynn's Island.